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A Tale of Sean and Shawn (RE: Hailey Dunn)

I am not one to rush to judgment. I am not one to lean toward the ultra-right or the ultra-left. I am currently listening to the chat archive on the link below which you can also listen to at your convenience…Shawn Adkins does speak on it for about 47 minutes and then hangs up. I’ll explain why later.

As stated earlier, this is the chat archive that Shawn Adkins spoke on tonight. I didn’t get to hear him because he had already hung up prior to my getting into the chat, but I did come across another young man who is the symbol of the divisive nature that has come to Texas since the day of Hailey Dunn’sdisappearance. I won’t put his last name in here, but his name is also Sean. He is a 17-year-old young man who grew up around the suspect, Shawn Adkins.

You won’t hear him in chat, but he did the type in the visual chat. During that time, I saw that people were being hard on him so I began to probe a bit. As I probed, I realized that this young man is a 17-year-old high school student who felt that it his “duty” or obligation to defend Mr. Adkins. This has truly and deeply affected this young man. As he was relaying what he knew of the suspect in the disappearance, as far as the time they spent together, a few people started to ask him questions as if he had inside knowledge of the case.

The atmosphere in that chatroom was very hostile at times–especially toward this young man. It finally lightened up a bit when he revealed that he is only 17-years-old. He is a very articulate and intelligent lad, I might add. This is his perception of Mr. Adkins:

1. The man is like a brother to him and has known him since the 3rd grade.

2. To him, Mr. Adkins is totally innocent.

3. This young man had no clue that Mr. Adkins would have anything like kiddie porn or bestiality on his computer because, in fact, he did NOT spend much time with Mr. Adkins at the Dunn residence. ***Note: He never met Hailey Dunn either, but did attend classes with her brother.***

There is also an allegation that he Mr. Adkins an affair. It turned out that he only knew this woman for three days. The woman (Andrea) had put messages on FB that they were going to get married and such. What I would like to know is that if this happened close to the disappearance, why isn’t law enforcement looking at this woman? From what has been said, she did stalk the guy. I’m not saying that he is not guilty, so don’t take it the wrong way–I am saying they need to drop HER as a possible suspect. Rejection is a powerful motive for kidnapping and murder IF that is what went down here.

I realize that the above is a theory, but so is anything else that has been put forth so far. I listened to the taped conversation with Mr. Adkins after the chat ended. He stated that several people could have had access to the computer in question, and he could be right on that issue. If the memory stick was left unattended at any time, then anyone could have put the images on it. I know it sounds as if I am playing devil’s advocate, so please bear with me.

Note: The computer was not found at Billie Dunn’s residence, but the memory stick was. This is important–especially to any prosecutor.

Judging by the demeanor of Mr. Adkins, he does come across as being straight forward–and I didn’t have visual so I couldn’t tell you about his facial expressions or body language. I can see the quality in his voice that puts people at ease. It is this type of demeanor that enables him to bond with others. And for me, it would instantly make me feel as if he’s hiding something given my own insane upbringing, so I had to keep an open mind.

Now back to the other Sean. As I said earlier, he was a straight forward kid trying to defend another friend like any other teenager. He said that Adkins was like a big brother to him. The minute it came out that he is only 17-years-old, and given his family situation, it became obvious that this young man looked up to Mr. Adkins with respect and admiration–a vulnerable place for a teenager to be when someone close to them falls. Just ask the families and friends of Ted Bundy and Dennis Rader. I feel sympathy for the families and friends of all concerned in this case. IF it turns out Adkins does end up being accused of it, the souls of many will be severely wounded.

It is crimes like these that destroy all families–not just the victim’s but the families of the guilty who have done NOTHING wrong. With that in mind, the only thing I am hoping to point out here is that it doesn’t matter where you stand on the guilt or innocence of Billie Dunn or Shawn Adkins, but we must be careful of those–especially the youth that might get caught in the crossfire and chaos of a case like this. It is sad that when one person thinks another is innocent that there is a tendency by SOME–NOT ALL people to spew their vitriol against those who having a different opinion from their own. When they realized the boy’s age, they calmed down and there were only a few doing it, but it was sad nonetheless.

It is best on this case to agree to disagree. Shawn Adkins did abruptly hang up and leave the program when confronted about statements he denies making about hiding a body. Does it matter? Right now we are no closer to finding her and bringing her home–which is exactly where our focus should be.

As far as that young man Sean, I told him that his focus at 17 should not be to take on a burden that isn’t his–let alone the world on his young shoulders. This is a young man who should be getting ready for prom night, getting a rose for his favorite girl, getting a set of wheels (if he doesn’t have them already) and preparing to enjoy his upcoming summer. Shawn Adkins is a big boy and can take care of himself. Perhaps the school counselors should try talking to the students again–and instead of probing about the case, work to heal their wounded spirits at this point. If this is how Sean feels about Adkins, I can see how horrible the students must feel about Hailey still being missing.

Sean even answered a couple of questions that reflected his maturity to those present. I asked what he would do if Mr. Adkins had come to him and said anything about being involved with Hailey’s disappearance. He said, “I would convince him to do the right thing and go to the police, and help the family find her.” For a 17-year-old, with something like this burdening him, that is a remarkable thing to state. Most teenagers do not think on those terms until older. This speaks well of the parents who raised him, and of how his character will be when he is a grown man.

It is my hope that one day soon, Hailey will be brought back safely. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of all. All are being harmed by this case. If it turns out that someone else altogether did this, then the constant railing would have been for nothing, and several lives and relationships will have been tossed out of the window. The only ones that will have gained anything will be those in the media, the commentators and all the armchair experts–even if most of them were well-intended.

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14 comments on “A Tale of Sean and Shawn (RE: Hailey Dunn)”

Interesting thoughts on a tough subject. Have you read Olive Kitteridge? The stories came to mind because you talk about being careful to judge, and it centers on a New England town where everyone knows each other, but really don’t know the full story on anyone.

I haven’t, but I will certainly give it a shot! This case is tearing the community apart. I lived 8 miles from there when I was a corrections sergeant. It is sad to see how divided people are on it. I certainly thank you for your opinion also…I was so happy to see your posts the other day!

OMG! I’m ecstatic I found this article, found you, I should say….I was in the chat/show last night as a guest, and I was SO impressed with the way you were talking to Sean, that I tried registering for an account on Blogtalk just so I could message you. I wish everyone were more like you….. I have been following this case since the beginning, and I have been getting so discouraged and upset by everyone’s attitudes and behavior. To witness the discussion you had with Sean was so touching and such a nice refreshing change, and it has altered my outlook again. The way you handled Sean (and yourself in general) was amazing… it speaks volumes of your character, and who you are as a person. I’m so glad to have witnessed that last night, and also I’m glad to have the opportunity to tell you so. Thank you for restoring my faith in people… and thank God for people like you!

Thank you so much for your kind words! I always try to keep an open mind. I used to live in Loraine and I worked in Colorado City for 4 years. It was like someone said, the children are our most precious resource. Sean really needed a breather. He may have the body of a man, but he is still a boy–a child if you will. He should not feel that he has to take the world on his shoulders at such a young age and that is what moved me to write this article. It also made me think about those who are still dealing with Hailey’s loss at school. She is missing and they are getting ready to end the school year…That has to be heavily on their young minds, so I hope the counselor(s) are on top of things.

Newer article shows less reward. I believe on pledge was not able to validate back then. There has been a dismal effort to leverage this reward and obtain information to find Hailey. The terms need to be reevaluated to “leading to conviction” and/or just “return” at this point.

“Searchers want to remind people that a $5,500 reward will be given to anyone who has real information on how to find the teen and $10,000 for the person who brings Hailey home safe.”

What’s interesting to me is that anyone would take statements made in an anonymous chat room as fact. Unless you have a full name and have verified the source to be who he or she says s/he is, internet communication is such that you can’t really be sure.

Essentially, this Sean kid could be exactly who he says he is, or he could be Billie Dunn, or some 40 year old inserting him or herself into the case, or a 14 year old troll from 4chan, or law enforcement gauging public response. Were you able to verify that this person was who he said he was via telephone or IP trace on email?

Regardless, it was an interesting read and you’re a good writer. Kudos on an interesting take on the subject.

And while I thank you for your kind comments, I will remind you that the same statement could very well apply to yourself or anyone else in a public typed chat. Sean, like myself, did give his full name. I do not think Billie Dunn would go so far as to pull a stunt like that. The only trolls were the ones who couldn’t handle his perception, but were going to extra pains to slam him in there until he revealed his age. I am sure that he will be back on Wednesday when Clint Dunn is there…You can ask him then. He was conducting himself in a civilized manner compared to some of the others. Either way, the interview was with Shawn Adkins–not Sean Holder, and as such, I merely gave my opinion of what I saw regarding the behavior of others in the visual chat. This was not an interview. The host verified everyone who was in there via their account registrations.

HELLO..there has been alot of talk about this KID that was in the chat on blogtalk the other night.There may not be alot of people who agree with stuff that SA does but he does have loved ones just like all of us do that are intitled to there opinion as well.I think that this kid held himself very well and for that I give him a STANDING OVATION…all this girl did was write a respectful article telling us what SA’s family and friends think of him,and you know what Im glad she did because it made me open my eyes as it should to everyone.Like this was a big shock to everyone that SA might have friends and people who love him in this world,yes he does and I have been curious for a while now as to what his friends and family thought about him.I just dont know about our society and how we carry our morals that we were taught as children.THIS IS JUST A KID THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AND IS ACTING MORE LIKE AN ADULT THEN SOME OF US!!!

Wow! Thanks for stopping by! I love it when people don’t hold back and share! I wasn’t going to put his last name in, but since it’s in the chat transcript on file, it won’t make a difference. Besides, I’m sure he’ll be back Wednesday night because he, like so many others, simply wants this child to be brought home safely. It is not my job to verify anyone prior to entering chat because the site admins do that anyway…

my name is Ashley i live in Denham Springs Louisiana. i’m not from around here but i visit my mother ( Mychelle Grissom) in big spring TX and i’m so disgusted at how people can kid nap a child that might one day hold the keys to our future in there hands. i my self have been a victim more than one time to men who think they can do whatever whenever they can…. someone has to put a stop to these sick twisted people… they don’t deserve to even rot in jail. and its not just in Texas it’s in every state i believe that there should be a harsher punishment for these people who can harm any child in any way….my mother and her friends Hailey’s angels are out searching all the time and in my own way i am doing the same i want to help bring not just Hailey home but all the missing children out there. there has been words said to my mother and to others in the Hailey’s angels from a name i will not name in here but they know who they are and i just want to ask how they can say hurtful words to these wonderful people who are out spending their money for gas to try and find this child when her own mother ain’t doing nothing but sitting on her butt at her house doing whatever… why ain’t she out there looking for her child. why is her dad going place to place spending thousands of dollars on gas looking day and night and her mother cant even get off her butt and cry one tear… i might be wrong i might be right, who knows… however to HAILEY’S ANGELS AND TO ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE LOOKING FOR HAILEY, KEEP LOOKING YA’LL WILL FIND HER AND BRING HER HOME TO HER DAD!!!!!!!

While I can certainly understand why one can get frustrated, I am of the opinion that Billie Dunn has gone into shut down mode. The community is in a state of heated division over this and there is a tendency to place blame already. Many fingers are pointing at both her and Shawn Adkins. Until she is found, the cart shouldn’t be put before the horse. The how and why can come AFTER she is found. As for those saying those terrible things to you and your mother, they need to grow up. The community is divided enough over this case.